Shadows
by cinnamon-wolf-pup
Summary: What happens when Hermione has troubles at home? Can anyone save her before it's too late? If so, who? Rated for child abuse etc.
1. Chapter 1

SHADOWS

Hey peoples! I know, I know, you were expecting an update on I Missed You. But I have decided to start this instead. It's nothing like my first one, but I like this one more so far. So, read on, and let me know if it totally sucks and I should burn in hell!

Chapter 1: **Pain**

**Pain. That one, little, 4-letter word can mean so much. That word swept through her entire body. It was all she could feel. Not just physically, either. The emotional pain by far outnumbered the physical pain most of the time. A feeling of internal pain crept into her mind and settled. It had been there since she was old enough to understand. And she learned to understand pretty quickly, as she was the brightest witch of her age, as some had come to call her.**

**Hermione Granger's life was nowhere near as perfect as everyone expected. It was so far away from perfect, in fact, that she could barely keep her home life hidden anymore. All because of her drunken bastard of a father.**

**It had started when she was only 7 years old. Up until then, it had only been verbal tongue lashings with a few smacks across the face now and then. But then her father lost his trial for drunk driving and had to pay a huge fine. He also got his license revoked for quite some time. **

**That night, he got home late and was way over the legal limit. He slammed the door, and kicked a hole through the wall. Picking up an antique china figurine, he threw it against the wall under the stairs. Running out of her room (more like her broom closet) and flying down the stairs at the sound of his slurred voice, her face blanched at the hatred shown in his face. **

**"You! This is your fault! You caused this to happen with this freaky stuff you've been doing lately!" He screamed, right up in her face. In the past year, she had been conducting odd events, and she couldn't make sense of them. It was nothing big, just things like running extra fast away from her father, or getting food when she was locked in her so called room. One time when her father was drunk and chasing her, she got really scared and tried to hide in a nook between a chair and the wall, but even though she was severely malnourished, she was still to big to fit. She was terrified by the thought of what could happen, until she transformed into a cinnamon colored small wolf pup, and was able to fit easily. Luckily, her father had such a large hangover the next day, he couldn't remember a thing, and it hadn't happened again.**

**She had never been as scared in her life as she was right then. Her fathered staggered up to her and struck her, right across the face. It hurt like hell. She could smell the acrid smell of alcohol on his breath. When he shoved her to the floor and started kicking her in the ribs, she curled up into the fetal position and wondered what she did to deserve this sick form of punishment. It was then that she noticed her mother standing in the kitchen, pulling the shades down over the windows so that the neighbors wouldn't see, no emotion showing on her face. At that moment, as her father's foot connected with her head, setting stars in front of her eyes, she decided that her life would never be the same.**

**It was about a month before she was to go back to school for her seventh year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had gotten a message along with her school letter yesterday, informing her that an order member would be coming to pick her up sometime today.**

**She didn't know what she would do. She was covered in cuts and bruises; while she was sure she had at least three broken ribs from her father's latest beating. Muscles she had never even thought about ached from when her father's friends came over. Her father let them do whatever they wanted with her. Shuddering at the memories (some old, most new), she started layering on make-up to hide her life. No matter how much she caked on, however, she was still as pale as someone on their deathbed.**

**Sighing, she decided her pallid face wouldn't magically conjure more color, and went to find her least raggedy clothes to wear.**

**Pulling on trip pants with lime green liner, a black t-shirt with a My Chemical Romance hoodie, she was careful to not look in the mirror. She really did not want to face the truth.**

**A few hours later, she heard her father answer the door. 'Oh, how wonderful, another of his many friends is probably here. Well, at least they won't try anything, I'm going back, and dad doesn't want anyone to find out.'**

**"Girl! Get down here! Her father's voice could be heard even over her Evanescence CD.**

**'Could he get any louder? Ugh. Better take my stuff down now. That way I can get out of here faster later.'**

**"Hey, Bitch! I said get down here!"**

**Giving a frustrated sigh, she screamed, "I'm coming!"**

**"Don't you dare scream at me, you worthless pile of shit!"**

**As she groaned and ran a hand through her hair, she thought, 'I wonder if someone came for me early, and it's not one of his friends. Hopefully.' She gave half a laugh and a snort. 'Yeah, but I've been hoping that all summer.**

**As she pulled her trunk down the stairs, she strained her neck to see who was there before her father saw her, she let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. It was only 'Mad Eye' Moody.**

**Coming all the way down, Moody saw her first and scrutinized her carefully. Letting her hair fall over her face (even though she new Mad Eye could see through it), she came face-to-face with her father. She cringed when spit flew in her face.**

**"What took you so long? Apologize to me, now, Bitch!" He screamed in a drunken rage.**

**"Sorry," she said, barely above a whisper.**

**"Sorry, sir," she quickly added as an afterthought when he looked like he was about to hit her.**

**Moody, raising an eyebrow at her, nodded towards the door.**

**She couldn't get to the door fast enough.**

**The unlikely twosome soon came to a deserted ally. Turning to her, Moody said, "We're going by side-along apparition. Grab my arm, and concentrate on where we were last summer."**

**Doing as she was told, Hermione soon found she was unable to breathe. Close to panicking, because it felt way too much like her father's large hands squeezing tighter, tighter, around her throat, she was relieved when the choking sensation stopped. However, that was not enough to keep her upright.**

**Luckily, a pair of strong arms caught her on the way down, and held her close to the owner of those arms, until she could compose herself once more.**

**Looking up, she saw the one face that she didn't want to see.**

**"Hi, Remus," she whispered.**

**So, like it, hate it? REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2 suspicions

Chapter 2: Suspicions

AN: Hey, sorry about the length of time between updates, I've had a lot of problems with my computer here at my mom's house, and let's just say, its not exactly possible for me to be at my dad's house right now. So, I'll try to update faster next time, and I hope you enjoy this chappie!

With her heart pounding, Hermione racked her brain for a way to escape the situation at hand.

Not really thinking clearly, she blurted out, "I, uh, gotta go, er, say hi to Harry, Ron, and

Ginny. Uh, yeah..."

Backing out of the room, she inwardly cursed herself. When she was fully out of the

sitting room's doorway, she broke into a sprint towards her usual bedroom. Upon arriving and

noticing her trunk at the end of one of the two queen-sized beds(she was rooming with Ginny,

like always), she flopped down on her bed, thinking to herself.

'Nice going, Mya. He probably knows some things up now, with all your stuttering. As if

it wasn't bad enough, with his extra senses, due to being a werewolf! Jeez, at this point, it's

going to end up like third year again.'

FLASHBACK:

"Hermione, could you perhaps stay after class for a few minutes, please? Don't worry,

you're not in trouble," Professor Lupin chuckled as he saw her stricken expression.

As she was packing up her things with the rest of the class, she wondered. What did he

want to talk to her about? Did she get a bad grade on the last test? Or maybe...what if he saw

any of the bruises, or cuts, or burns? Had he seen her limping at all? After all, she had been

trying to hide it, but... it just hurt so badly, and with everything he did to her over winter break

less than a week ago, her magic just wasn't enough to heal what it usually could. Could it be that he wanted to talk to her about any suspicions he might have? What would she tell him? What

if...?

Just then realizing that she was probably staring off into space, she snapped back to

reality, just in time to hear the professor offer her the wingback chair by his desk. Gratefully

taking the offer, she lowered herself into the comfortable chair.

" Would you like some chocolate?" he asked, taking out a bar of Honeyduke's dark

chocolate, and giving her that smile that always made her feel safe when she was around him.

"Yes, please,' she quietly answered, still worried. As he handed the sweet to her, she

could feel his eyes taking in her every move, and she looked away uncomfortably.

"Hey, Hermione, is there anything you want to tell me, get something off your chest, you

know? You've been acting differently since about a week or two before the break," he asked,

sounding worried, as he tried to place his hand on her's that was resting on the desk, but when he

did, he noticed a very peculiar thing. As soon as his hand came anywhere near her's, she flinched

and pulled her arm closer to her body.

" Um, no, not really," she said, barely above a whisper, as she pulled her knees up to her

chest.

Inwardly sighing, he replied, "Very well, but I want you to know, if you ever need to talk,

I'll be here to listen, alright?" The, just as he finished talking, music drifted down to meet their

ears from upstairs, in his personal office.

**_She walks to school with the lunch she packed  
Nobody knows what she's holdin' back  
Wearin' the same dress she wore yesterday  
She hides the bruises with linen and lace _**

The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask  
It's hard to see the pain behind the mask  
Bearing the burden of a secret storm  
Sometimes she wishes she was never born

"Oh, I'm sorry about that, I accidently set my alarm for lunch, sometimes I get so caught

up in a good book that if there isn't something to tell me when lunch is, I'll totally forget about

it," he said, eyes twinkling as they started to lunch. " Do you like this song? It's one of my

favorites. And by the way, not that many other people know that I'm a sucker for depressing

music, and every one that does know, thinks I'm really weird."

_**Through the wind and the rain  
She stands hard as a stone  
In a world that she can't rise above  
But her dreams give her wings  
And she flies to a place where she's loved  
Concrete angel  
**_

_**  
Somebody cries in the middle of the night  
The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights  
A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate  
When morning comes it'll be too late  
**_

_**A statue stands in a shaded place  
An angel girl with an upturned face  
A name is written on a polished rock  
A broken heart that the world forgot  
**_

" Yeah, I've heard it once or twice, it's good, but you're right, it is really depressing that a

parent can do that to their child," she was barely audible at this point, but the professor was able

to hear her because of the curse he lives with. However much she tried to hide her sadness, his

suspicions grew even bigger.

As they were nearing the Great Hall, none other than Draco Malfoy walked by, and decided that this would be a good time to bother Hermione and the DADA teacher.

"Hey! Mudblood, are you always going to be a teacher's pet? Or is it just a phase with

DADA professors?" he smirked as he said this, not really seeing the look on her face. She was

livid. "Or is it that that's all you can get?"

"Well, Ferret, I don't care what you say, as long as I know that it's not true," she said back

calmly enough.

"Why you! You need to learn your place, mudblood, and fast. Maybe we should have a

lesson right now," he smirked once again, walking closer, testing her and professor Lupin.

Once he was too close for comfort, Hermione did the only thing she could- brought her

knee up right where it hurts. When he fell to the floor, groaning, she looked back at Professor

Lupin with an expression that could only spell out fear on her face. She was surprised to see him

going towards Malfoy and conjuring ropes around his wrists.

When he saw her looking at him, he smiled apologetically and said,"Sorry, but rules state

that I have to wait until one of you actually touches the other before I can step in. Don't worry,

Hermione, you're not in trouble, and if you're okay, then you can go to lunch, alright?"

"Okay," she said simply, and as she walked off the scene, he watched as she traced her

finger along the stones embedded in the wall, thus causing her sleeve to slide back a bit. When it

did, the professor, having very acute eyesight, was able to see one large, hand-shaped bruise

running across her wrist. Turning back to the Malfoy boy, he promised himself that he would look

into it more later.

END FLASHBACK

Sighing at that conflicting memory, she got out her cd's and set up the cd player that she charmed to work in magical areas. Sliding in the

cd that held the song that described her better than any song out there, she turned it to the correct song, and set it on repeat.

Little did she know, a certain werewolf and an old, retired auror were sharing their

suspicions about her when at that moment a certain song drifted down to meet their ears from

upstairs.

_**She walks to school with the lunch she packed  
Nobody knows what she's holdin' back  
Wearin' the same dress she wore yesterday  
She hides the bruises with linen and lace **_

_**The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask  
It's hard to see the pain behind the mask  
Bearing the burden of a secret storm  
Sometimes she wishes she was never born **_

_**Through the wind and the rain  
She stands hard as a stone  
In a world that she can't rise above  
But her dreams give her wings  
And she flies to a place where she's loved  
Concrete angel  
**_

_**Somebody cries in the middle of the night  
The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights  
A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate  
When morning comes it'll be too late  
**_

_**Through the wind and the rain  
She stands hard as a stone  
In a world that she can't rise above  
But her dreams give her wings  
And she flies to a place where she's loved  
Concrete angel  
**_

_**A statue stands in a shaded place  
An angel girl with an upturned face  
A name is written on a polished rock  
A broken heart that the world forgot  
**_

_**Through the wind and the rain  
She stands hard as a stone  
In a world that she can't rise above  
But her dreams give her wings  
And she flies to a place where she's loved  
Concrete angel**_


	3. running from the wolf

Chapter 2 of SHADOWS

Running From The Wolf

Author's note: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever. It's just that…there's a lot of stuff going on in my life right now, it's really overwhelming and everything. Let's just say-in this story I'm writing about myself using other characters. I've been having a lot of trouble trying to hide that fact and stuff, I feel so stupid. But there is some good things happening- last night I went to a Three Day's Grace, Breaking Benjamin, and Puddle Of Mud concert, and the lead singer of Three Day's Grace started coming up the aisle, and was HOLDING MY HAND AND SINGING TO ME!!!! I was, oh god, you should have seen me, I was a wreck! And, I also just won a NAITIONAL writing award!!! Yay!

After talking to the irritable auror, Remus decided that his first priority would be to think this all through. What was going on with Hermione? Technically, he was already pretty sure what was going on. So, more importantly, why wasn't she admitting it?

Heading up to his room, he started to list the events in his head, creating a mental list of sorts.

'First, there was the time in her third year when I saw her in the empty corner, the day everyone came back from Christmas vacation, including her. She had bandages with her, and looked like she was in a lot of pain. Then, she wouldn't admit to anything being wrong when I approached her about it. I don't get it, if she's in pain, wouldn't she want help? None of this makes any sense…

There were also the countless times last year, when I saw Merlin knows how many bruises. And now, Mad Eye just told me how her father was acting towards and about her. If I'm thinking correctly, what this all leads to is…shit. What if that is really true? If her father is abusing her…I'll kill him. But how can I find out if that is true?

I really have to figure this out. I can't let her have a childhood like mine, it was horrid…'

All of a sudden, a hyper Padfoot leaped through the door. Throwing himself onto Remus' bed, he hung upside down and smirked.

"It's time for dinner, wolfieboy. Come on, steak tonight!"

"Alright, Paddy, I'm coming."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

All throughout dinner, Remus kept his eye on Hermione. She was definitely acting oddly, she hadn't once talked to Harry, Ron, Ginny, or anyone, for that matter.

When dinner was over, and everyone started to get up and stretch, he put his hand on her shoulder. As he did, she seemed to gasp sharply, as if in pain. Quickly taking his hand off of her shoulder, he looked in her eye, as she tried to look away.

"Hermione, could I please talk to you in the drawing room for a minute?"

"I uhm, I have a lot of things to do…"

"Don't worry. This won't take but a minute," he said kindly, but even so, as she followed him, she looked as if she was headed to her death.


	4. Chapter 4

Confronting The Wolf

Hermione's POV

When I followed Remus into the drawing room, I couldn't even begin to decipher the thoughts that were running a marathon through my mind. I sat cautiously on the armchair farthest from the door, careful not to upset any of the injuries obtained earlier that week, as he closed it, checking to make sure that it was shut tightly. As soon as he turned to face me, I made sure not to look into his eyes. I know that I'm not a very good liar.

"Hermione, I really need to talk to you, and I really need you to tell me the truth. I _know_ that something is wrong, and what that something probably is. You _need_ to tell me the truth. I don't want you to get hurt anymore, Hermione; I care about you too much. I want you to know that you can trust me," he said, lifting my chin. Just because he can lift up my face, doesn't mean he can lift my spirit, or my eyes, I thought.

"I-I already _t-told_ you, there's nothing wrong," I stuttered under my breath.

"Yeah right. Since when does Hermione Granger stutter?" Remus said sternly. "If you won't tell me, I will have to interpret my suspicions as true."

"Um…what are your suspicions?" I asked meekly.

"You really want to know? My suspicion is that your father has been abusing you."

My head shot upward, making my neck hurt once again. I stared at him, gaping, not bothering to keep my eyes off of him.

"Th-that's not true," I said, hoping that I sounded more confident than I felt.

Author's Note: Hey, thanks for reviewing. Sorry the chapters are so short, my hand hurts so I can't type a lot at one time. Hey Dalin!


	5. Chapter 5

Authors note::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hey everyone! I've got a huge case of writers block right now, so I need you guys to help me.

Should Hermione admit what's going on to Remus, or to someone else?

Should it be at Grimmauld Place or at Hogwarts?

Should Moody know something?

Should she befriend Malfoy and he'll find out and tell someone?

Please help, and any original ideas are more than welcome also!


	6. denying the wolf

Denying the Wolf

Chapter 5 of Shadows

Remus looked at her skeptically.

"Hermione, with all the evidence, I highly doubt that you are telling me the truth. I want to believe you, I truly do, but if that is not the truth, than what is?" He accused.

"I just TOLD you, it's not true. Why don't you believe me?" She asked, gaining more confidence.

"Hermione, give me one solid reason of how that is not true."

"Because-um, because- Cause I said so! Is that not good enough for you?" She cried, almost hysterical.

"Normally, it would be Hermione. But in these circumstances, where I'm afraid that you are being hurt, it's not good enough. Hermione, you know that it's okay to tell us, right? We can help you," he soothed.

"No! It's not true, and I do not feel like putting up with this! I'm going up to my room," she stated, turning to go.

Remus sighed, "Hermione..." Putting his hand on her shoulder to hold her back, he immediately let go when she yelped in obvious pain, even if she did try to conceal it with a cough. Pulling his hand away, he felt something wet and sticky on it and brought his hand up to look at it. His hand was covered in-

(AN: ya know, I seriously considered stopping here, but I figured, why not give them a longer chapter while my hand isn't hurting so much. Your Weellllllcccccommmmmmmmmme!)

Blood! Looking down, he saw that Hermione's shoulder was too, with Hermione gritting her teeth in pain.

'It must be really bad, if she's not even trying to conceal it now," Remus thought sadly.

"Hermione...do you want me to take a look at it?" He offered gently.

She looked like she was seriously contemplating it. Seeming to weigh the consequences, she finally said, "Yes-please," and pulled her shoulder out of her shirt.

"Oh, Merlin, Hermione! What happened? This looks horrible!"


	7. Chapter 7

Confessing to the wolf

A/N: Hey everyone! I want to dedicate this chappie to Amanda Sparks! Thank you for that chapter, by the way, when will amanda find out what is wrong with mya? Omfg, I'm so excited!

'Oh, no, it's not bad at all, it barely hurts a bit, considering I was thrown through a glass COFFEE TABLE!' She thought to herself crossly. ' Maybe I should just tell Remus, I mean, what's the point in arguing with him? He knows the truth.'

"Oh- I...uhm, it's a long story. Maybe I can tell you while you are fixing it?" She asked hopefully, with a pleading look on her face.

"Of course, Hermione, but I don't know if I can heal this myself... it looks pretty serious. Not to mention that it looks infected and I don't have any of the potions...Molly might, though..." he said, more to himself than her, as he examined it with gentle fingers.

"Well, we could ask Molly, right? I mean, she doesn't have to know why you need them, if you just tell her that you have it under control," Hermione pointed out.

"Yes, I suppose I can do that, I'll be back in a few minutes with some supplies," he told her, and looked at her sympathetically.

Remus' POV

"Molly," I called out as I entered the kitchen and saw that she was the only one in the dreary room. "Do you have, let's see, a blood replenishing potion, an antibiotic potion, and a deep cut healing potion?"

"Yes, I should, Remus dear, but why ever do you need such potions?" Molly questioned me worriedly.

"Well, um, I need it, for um, a cut...," I stumbled, trying not to give Hermione away.

"Is it Hermione? I saw you bringing her into the drawing room to talk," Molly stated briskly, gathering potions, cotton swabs, and bandages from the closet off to the side of the kitchen. "And we all suspect something about her, you don't need to hide it."

"Well, you see, she hasn't exactly told me yet, but she has a very large, infected cut on her shoulder that reopened. She said that she's going to tell me what happened while I am healing it. But my suspicions are that she has been abused."

"Yes, that is what most of us have been assuming. She's just too quiet, soft-spoken. Not to mention that practically every one here has seen a stray injury on her at some point," Molly tsked. "It's very sad, that someone as sweet as that child has had to go through something that terrible."

"You're right, it is..." I muttered, thinking back to my own past.

"Oh Remus dear, don't you go blaming yourself for not seeing it earlier just because you know what it's like to go through it. You more than anyone else should know how experienced the victims are at hiding it." The maternal woman comforted me as I took the supplies and walked back into the drawing room, just to see Hermione sitting on the edge of the couch, picking at loose threads.

normal POV

"Hey," he said softly, sitting beside her, on the same side as her injured shoulder, and he carefully pulled down her shirt just enough to have access to the wound. She shivered as the cool air hit her damaged skin. "Ready to tell me what happened?"

"Yeah, ummm, I- uh, this is kind of hard to say...I don't really know where to start," she rambled nervously, wishing that someone else could say it for her.

"Why don't you start from the very beginning? I've got time," he coaxed her.

Hermione sighed, "Alright. Well, it all started when I was around 7 years old...well, the more important stuff anyway...and my dad had lost a lawsuit for drunk driving. He came home really late and upset. He-he was drunk. He started to throw things, like glass figurines and such. It really sc-scared me. He had come home drunk b-before, but it had never been as bad as that day, however it ended up g-getting much worse than that as I grew up. He called me down from upstairs and started...he started t-to h-hit me. And punch, and kick me. Basically anything he could to cause me physical pain. N-not to mention the things he said to me..." at this point she trailed off and needed to stop for a minute.

Remus accepted this, he knew that it was hard for her to talk about it and that she would need to stop and compose herself at some of the really vivid memories. Every time Albus had called him in to his office after he found out his family's secret, he was asked to recount the things that his father had put himself and his late brother through. These visits lasted for hours, with many breaks, and much crying, to Remus' embarrassment. He was always told as a child that it was a weak thing to cry, and because of that, he was deeply ashamed anytime that his eyes even teared up in front of someone. As he rubbed the sobbing girl's back as she composed herself, he thought to himself, _**' How could anyone in their right mind do something to so terribly hurt such a sweet girl? She's never done anything to deserve this kind of treatment.'**_

Once Remus had finished patching up Hermione's shoulder, she was still not finished with her story. Early in the story, she found that it was easier to not think while she was telling him. Basically she just let it go and it flowed out, surprising her with how much she actually wanted to tell someone. She had always thought that it would be so hard to tell anyone, and now, with how desperate she was for help, it seemed like the easiest thing on earth.

She had told him everything up to a few years ago, and since she wasn't really thinking about what she was saying, something ended up slipping out that she had promised herself that she would go to the grave with. "Well, I guess it started to get the worst a few years ago. My dad was really stressed, I think, because he had just lost his job. He started to hurt me worse and worse until there were some mornings when I thought I was going to die getting out of bed because the pain was so bad. But because he lost his job, and he still had to pay for alcohol and things like that, we went into you could say, a financial crisis. He would have his friends pay to come to the house and they would- never mind. Slip of the tongue, I didn't mean to say that," she said frantically, while her bloodshot eyes widened and darted around everywhere, proof enough to the perceptive werewolf that she was lying. That it wasn't a 'slip of the tongue'.

"Hermione. Look at me, Hermione," He said, his voice sounding hard, stiff. As she cautiously looked into his eyes, the sight of her eyes, more terrified than he had ever seen in his life, almost made him break down in tears. "What did they do to you, Meena?" he said, so softly.


	8. accepting comfort from the wolf

Accepting Comfort From The Wolf chapter 8

AN: **PLEASE READ!!!!** Well, I think that the last chapter was one of my best so far. I really like where this story is going, I think that I'll be able to keep it going for a while. I'll probably do a sequel after I finish it, too. I plan for that to mostly be her healing, and learning to trust again. And I would appreciate some constructive criticism, so if any of you notice something, don't be afraid to mention it. I don't think I am writing to my full potential with this story, though I don't know if I can, with the plot line, as it is so emotional for me. Most of this is a true story, so a lot of the time it's hard for me to write this because I am basically writing about how I felt, and feel, going through this, as well as telling someone for the first time. So it would help if you faithful reviewers can point out the things I need to work on. Thank you!

"Nothing. Really, I didn't mean to say that," she said, not at all convincingly however. Everything that was running through her head right now was giving her a headache, it was just so conflicting. If she told, she could get help. The toll it took on her social life when she was scared to even be alone in a room with a guy was catastrophic. She also felt that she needed to see a doctor, some of them had been...well, lets just say that it was important for her to see a doctor soon. Although, thinking about how she was scared to be alone with males, Hermione thought about the fact that she was okay being alone with Remus. Something about him just...made her feel comfortable.

The bad thing about telling would be what he thought of her afterward. Would he think that she was easy, having lost her virginity at such a young age? Also, what if he told everyone, and then what would _they_ think of her? 'Ugh,' she thought, 'This is all so confusing.'

"Meena? Can you please tell me? You know that you can trust me. I won't think any less of you, and I won't tell anyone without your permission," he pleaded softly. 'Leave it to Remus to knock out my two pathetic excuses at once,' she thought crossly.

Once the broken spirited girl had mustered up enough courage to tell him, she did not look up. Her thick hair covered her face in a sheet as she played with loose threads in the couch.

"They...my dad...and them...they...I can't say it...," she said, and started to cry softly. Remus, careful to give her time to pull away if she was uncomfortable, wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her into a hug that made her feel safer than she had ever felt before. She never wanted to leave his embrace. As she laid her head down on his shoulder, she noticed that they seemed to fit together. They seemed to melt into each other, and little did they know, one Molly Weasly was watching from the doorway, wiping away silent tears.

After what seemed to be hours of resting on the couch, with Hermione's once shiny chestnut curls which were now a dull brown and lifeless draped across Remus' broad shoulders, Remus woke from a light doze to find his former student, exhausted and despondent by the stress of telling her dreadful story, deeply asleep on his lap.

AN: Sorry this chapter was so short. I have a serious case of writer's block once again.


	9. Chapter 9

Before anyone knew it, it came time for Harry's birthday party. As he had never had a real birthday party before this year, it was decided that they would go all out on his 15th birthday. Molly was making a brilliant cake from the sounds of it, and Arthur, Bill, and Charlie were working on making 12 Grimmauld Place charmed so that after people left they would forget the address, so that they could invite all of Harry's friends from Hogwarts. There was to be party streamers, a bright color changing banner, and lots of finger sandwiches, along with crisps, chocolate biscuits, and of course, Harry's favorite dessert, treacle tart.

Up until the party, Hermione had basically stayed up in her room, retiring after Ginny and getting up before the sun to go to the library, her favorite hide-out. Occasionally, she would venture down into the kitchen for meals, otherwise Remus would bring them up to her, however strange her eating habits were. One day she would be ravenous, the next she couldn't eat a bite, claiming she felt as if she had just eaten a king's feast. Remus spent most of his free time (when he wasn't in an order meeting or on a mission) sitting with Hermione in the library, just sitting beside her and reading, though once in a while they got to talking. During these talks they learned a lot about each other, however menial those things were, like the other's favorite colors, food, etcetera.

On the day of the party, Hermione woke up as the sun was rising, letting herself sleep in a little later than usual. She got out of bed, and tried to decide what to wear that day. After mentally going over what she had that would cover what needed to be covered, she decided that since it was a hot day, she could just wear her Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin t-shirt, along with gray-ish black jeans with a couple of chains on them, and her gray pair of unattached sleeves. Getting dressed quickly, she went down to the kitchen to get something to eat, and was then planning on going to the library to read until the party started.

As she entered the kitchen, she almost turned back when she heard voices already in there, but continued in when she recognized one of the voices as Remus's. She knew that he would cover for her if something was to happen. She came fully into the kitchen and saw that it was Molly that Remus was talking with. She looked as if she was starting to bake the cake that was for Harry's birthday. Shyly walking over to sit next to Remus, the two adults looked over to her and smiled, as Remus patted on the seat beside him. He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a comforting half-hug, and she buried her head in his neck and stayed there, soaking in his warmth and comforting scent.

"Hey, 'Mione. Still tired?" he asked, laughing, as she only nodded and buried her head deeper into his sweet-smelling skin.

"Dear, if you are still so tired, why don't you go to bed a bit earlier? I don't think that I've seen you go to bed earlier than one in the morning since you've been here," Molly suggested as she wiped her hands on the already batter covered towel.

"Oh...I'm not really sure, it just seems like I've had so much trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep lately, it seemed a waste to me to just lay awake in bed for hours on end," she said, her cinnamon eyes darting around fearfully.

"Well, I think I can fix that. Here, take this every night before bed, a tablespoon a night," she stated, acting like the mother she was.

"Uhm..., ok, I'll see if that works," she said, gripping Remus' hand tightly.

"Come on, Hermione, I had a book I wanted to show you in the library, it's about House Elf laws that I used back in school to help raise awareness for a group I started, called...," Remus told her, his professor side breaking out. They left the room, Remus and Hermione glad to get out of the awkward situation, and leaving one confused, worried, and saddened Molly Weasley.

AN: Well, that's all for now, folks! The next chapter will have Harry's party, and Hermione will be discovering her wolf side. AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!


End file.
